One of the best-kept secrets in professional wrestling, whether in AEW or WWE, is why Cody Rhodes decided to leave All Elite Wrestling. It's a company he helped start, and Rhodes maintained an Executive Vice President role there alongside The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. He never won AEW's World Championship but left as a three-time TNT Champion while having some of the best matches in the federation's short history. By the end of his time in Tony Khan's promotion, fans had turned on him, frequently booing him to the point where it felt like he had go-away heat with AEW's more hardcore audience.

In a recent exchange on Twitter, Rhodes was asked if the "personal" reason behind his departure from AEW was related to how the fans had started to treat him. Via his @CodyRhodes handle, the veteran wrestler wrote: "Ha no - I was a heel, the fans were amazing. It ain't ever on the fans." During the conversation, Cody Rhodes also stressed that The Young Bucks and Omega had nothing to do with him leaving and wrote that he had no issues with CM Punk. He also noted that his departure wasn't over money or booking.

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Cody Rhodes Wants To Be a WWE World Champion, Full Stop

It's been reported that neither Cody Rhodes nor Tony Khan will ever speak about why the former left AEW, which is fine. Everything that goes on in professional wrestling doesn't have to be open knowledge. Plus, the 37-year-old's public reasoning makes all the sense in the World. He returned to WWE to win the World Championship that his legendary father, Dusty Rhodes, was never able to win. Cody said as much during his sit-down interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin following his electric WrestleMania 38 match against Seth Rollins and has mentioned it several times since. The genesis of his desire to leave AEW might have been elsewhere, but on screen, this reasoning makes him one of the most relatable faces in WWE.

The timing of his torn pec was terrible. His matches against Rollins were all barnburners, with his brave showing at Hell In A Cell being a career-defining moment that will be shown in video packages for years to come. Some in WWE's audience might feel like Rhodes lost a shot at dethroning Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship, but it has been reported that neither Vince McMahon nor Triple H would have moved the belt to Rhodes already. The company is still very much hoping for The Rock Vs. Reigns at WrestleMania 39, and it isn't easy to imagine The Head Of The Table dropping the belts before then. Cody Rhodes will still be a significant player for WWE when he's able to return, though, and fans have the Royal Rumble circled as the best possible return date for The American Nightmare.

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Source: @CodyRhodes/Twitter